![]() Ohio’s Original Interscholastic Creative Writing Program for Middle Schools |
Almost every school throughout the nation has a football team, a basketball
team, and a wrestling team. Why not a writing team? Why not a season
of interscholastic writing events? Why not a regional competition for
the best young writers in Ohio? Why not a State Finals to measure and
reward the art of written expression?
These were the questions that inspired the vision and led to the birth of Power of the Pen in 1986 by its founder, Lorraine B. Merrill.
Lorraine's first interscholastic tournament was held at Nordonia Junior High School and attracted just a handful of schools. But more importantly, the initiative helped earn her recognition as a Christa McAuliffe Fellow by the U.S. and State Departments of Education (1988). As a consequence, she was granted a year's sabbatical to bring to life her vision of blending innovative teacher training with interscholastic writing competitions as a means of strengthening academic achievement among students at the middle school level. This was accomplished (1988-1989) with substantial funding support from the Gund, Knight, and Cleveland Foundations.
Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization at that time, the program has since grown to become one of Ohio's largest educational enhancement programs. Middle school students throughout Ohio will benefit from Power of the Pen instructional methodologies this year, including nearly 3,000 who will compete in formal Power of the Pen interscholastic writing tournaments.
1986
Power of the Pen, first called Olympics of the Pen, originated in
1985-86 as a single interscholastic writing tournament funded by the
Martha Holden Jennings Foundation. Nordonia Junior High School hosted
the event attended by 170 students and 28 teacher-judges from 15
neighboring school districts.
1987
24 schools formed a coalition dedicated to the expansion of the program.
Through the efforts of this interscholastic advisory board and
supported by continued funding from the Jennings Foundation and the
Knight Foundation, the Ohio Interscholastic Writing League (OIWL) was
born. In one year, it was able to coordinate a season of three
preliminary writing tournaments that culminated in a Northeastern Ohio
Regional Tournament at Akron University.
1988
The Founder, Loraine Merrill, is honored as a Christa McAuliffe Fellow
and is given a one year sabbatical (with salary paid by the U.S.
Department of Education) to create a State program.
1990
Power of the Pen hosts its first State Tournament at Denison University.
2001
The College of Wooster assumes the role as official host site for a much
expanded Power of the Pen State Tournament. It offers the first full
college scholarship for POP's Promising Young Talent Award.
Power of the Pen |